Reaching the One

1

Reaching the One

Dr. Brandon Park | March 29, 2015

God wants you to have a ministry in the church, but He also wants you to have a mission in the world. A disciple of Jesus is one who lives on a mission. Think about it this way: Jesus came as a missionary _________ heaven so that He might make us missionaries _______ heaven. “The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ…If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the B ible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose.” – C. S. Lewis In order for us to accept our mission and to live for the cause of Christ, we need to make three resolutions:

1. I must live for those _________________ the ______________.

This means getting outside of your c omfort zone in order to reach those who are far from God. Hebrews 13:11-‐15, “The high p riest carries the blood of a nimals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he b ore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice o f praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Now when the Bible talks about “the camp,” what does that mean? • It represents the ________________ city of the Israelites. When they left Egypt and were traveling in the desert for 40 years, scholars estimate there were 1-‐3 million people in this camp. • It was their _______________ center. It represented the people to w hom they belonged. It was their family. Everyone belonged to one of the twelve tribes. • It was their _________________ center. The Tabernacle was right in the middle of this mobile city. And we know that the Levites were appointed to sing there (1 Chronicles 16:4) so music would emanate from the center of this camp. • The _____________________ of God hovered above the camp. In the daytime it would be in the form of a cloud, at night it would be a pillar of fire. It’s easy for us to think of our church like this camp! FBR is a family we belong to. It’s an organized, safe, and exciting place to worship. But if we’re not careful, we can get so absorbed “within the camp” that we don’t make time to go where the activity and action of God is “outside the camp.” • Outside the camp, it was __________________. Once a year, the high priest would go outside the camp and burn the carcasses of the animals used in sacrifice. Deuteronomy 23:13 also tells us that “outside the camp” was the place where 2.5 million Israelites would use the latrine. • Outside the camp, it was _______________________. The Bible tells us that lepers were forced to live outside the camp. Leprosy was an infectious skin disease, so they would quarantine them. • Outside the camp, it was ___________________________. There would be enemies lurking in the shadows outside the camp. This is where the writer of Hebrews begins to turn this O ld Testament story into a New Testament truth. Jesus lived and died outside the camp. Hebrews 13:12, “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.” Jesus not only died outside the camp, he ministered outside the camp! He lived among and touched those who had disease and were dirty. We are invited to join Him outside the camp. Vs. 13, “Let us, then, go to h im outside the camp bearing the disgrace he bore…” Where does the Bible say Jesus is? Where can we meet him? Outside the camp.

2

What does it mean to “bear the disgrace that he bore?” One of the side effects of evangelism means that you have to have some awkward conversations. Greg Stier has a saying, “Awkward is awesome because it’s in the crucible of awkward that lives are changed.” We have to be willing to engage in those awkward conversations, and as we do we bear the disgrace of Christ.

2. I must not be ________________ of the ________________.

Romans 1:14-‐15, “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, b oth to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed. The Greeks were the high cultured and highly educated people. The Barbarians were the unsophisticated who didn’t have all the things necessary to make life easy. When Paul says, “I am under obligation,” he’s saying, “I don’t have a c hoice.” In Acts 20:24, Paul said, "The most important thing in my life is that I complete my mission; the work that the Lord Jesus gave me -‐ to tell people the good news about God's grace" (NCV). One of the proofs that we’re not on the same page as God is that we don’t feel ___________________ to share our faith. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of t he gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” “It is not our business to make the message acceptable, but to make it available. We are not to see that they like it, but that they get it.” – Dr. Vance Havner Paul understood that there was something about the Gospel that was true of it that wasn’t true of anything else. He calls it “The power of God for salvation.” Why? Because it is the only divinely authorized means through which the grace of God flows. How do you know if you’re ashamed of the gospel? Ask yourself this question: When was the last time I ________________ it?”

3. I must be a _______________ of __________.

Matthew 4:18-‐20 says, “While walking by t he Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew h is brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And h e said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” The word “follow” conveys the idea of following as a disciple who is committed to imitating the one he follows. If you’re not __________________, you’re not ________________________. When it comes to learning how to F.I.S.H. for men, here are four things you must do:

F_____________ whom God wants you to reach. This vitally important step involves prayer, asking God to show you whom He wants you to reach

for Him. “If your Gospel isn't touching others, it hasn't _________________ you!” – Curry R. Blake I___________________ yourself in their lives. It may be trite, but it’s true: people don’t care how much you know until they know how much y ou care. Ask them: “Is there anything that I c an be praying for you about?”

S_____________________ your faith and your church.

Our most popular excuse is always, “I just don’t know enough.” You don’t have to be an Einstein to share the gospel. It can be as simple as sharing your own story of how you came to know Christ. A recent Gallup Poll discovered that ______% of Americans are intensely interested in spiritual matters. “Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony of God in them” (I John 5:10).

H______________ them grow and reproduce.

Once they have started coming to church and (hopefully) accepted Christ, your job is not over but has just begun. God wants us to make not just disciples but disciple makers.

CHALLENGE: Will you write down the name of at least one person that is not actively involved in church right now and make it your mission to pray for them, invest yourself into their lives, share your faith and your church, and help them grow and reproduce?

1

Reaching the One

Dr. Brandon Park | March 29, 2015

God wants you to have a ministry in the church, but He also wants you to have a mission in the world. A disciple of Jesus is one who lives on a mission. Think about it this way: Jesus came as a from heaven so that He might make us missionaries _______ for heaven. missionary _________ “The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ…If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the B ible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose.” – C. S. Lewis In order for us to accept our mission and to live for the cause of Christ, we need to make three resolutions:

1. I must live for those _________________ the ______________. outside camp

This means getting outside of your c omfort zone in order to reach those who are far from God. Hebrews 13:11-‐15, “The high p riest carries the blood of a nimals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he b ore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice o f praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Now when the Bible talks about “the camp,” what does that mean? mobile • It represents the ________________ city of the Israelites. When they left Egypt and were traveling in the desert for 40 years, scholars estimate there were 1-‐3 million people in this camp. social • It was their _______________ center. It represented the people to w hom they belonged. It was their family. Everyone belonged to one of the twelve tribes. worship • It was their _________________ center. The Tabernacle was right in the middle of this mobile city. And we know that the Levites were appointed to sing there (1 Chronicles 16:4) so music would emanate from the center of this camp. presence • The _____________________ of God hovered above the camp. In the daytime it would be in the form of a cloud, at night it would be a pillar of fire. It’s easy for us to think of our church like this camp! FBR is a family we belong to. It’s an organized, safe, and exciting place to worship. But if we’re not careful, we can get so absorbed “within the camp” that we don’t make time to go where the activity and action of God is “outside the camp.” • Outside the camp, it was __________________. Once a year, the high priest would go dirty outside the camp and burn the carcasses of the animals used in sacrifice. Deuteronomy 23:13 also tells us that “outside the camp” was the place where 2.5 million Israelites would use the latrine. diseased • Outside the camp, it was _______________________. The Bible tells us that lepers were forced to live outside the camp. Leprosy was an infectious skin disease, so they would quarantine them. dangerous • Outside the camp, it was ___________________________. There would be enemies lurking in the shadows outside the camp. This is where the writer of Hebrews begins to turn this O ld Testament story into a New Testament truth. Jesus lived and died outside the camp. Hebrews 13:12, “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.” Jesus not only died outside the camp, he ministered outside the camp! He lived among and touched those who had disease and were dirty. We are invited to join Him outside the camp. Vs. 13, “Let us, then, go to h im outside the camp bearing the disgrace he bore…” Where does the Bible say Jesus is? Where can we meet him? Outside the camp.

2

What does it mean to “bear the disgrace that he bore?” One of the side effects of evangelism means that you have to have some awkward conversations. Greg Stier has a saying, “Awkward is awesome because it’s in the crucible of awkward that lives are changed.” We have to be willing to engage in those awkward conversations, and as we do we bear the disgrace of Christ.

2. I must not be ________________ of the ________________. ashamed gospel

Romans 1:14-‐15, “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, b oth to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed. The Greeks were the high cultured and highly educated people. The Barbarians were the unsophisticated who didn’t have all the things necessary to make life easy. When Paul says, “I am under obligation,” he’s saying, “I don’t have a c hoice.” In Acts 20:24, Paul said, "The most important thing in my life is that I complete my mission; the work that the Lord Jesus gave me -‐ to tell people the good news about God's grace" (NCV). One of the proofs that we’re not on the same page as God is that we don’t feel obligated ___________________ to share our faith. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of t he gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” “It is not our business to make the message acceptable, but to make it available. We are not to see that they like it, but that they get it.” – Dr. Vance Havner Paul understood that there was something about the Gospel that was true of it that wasn’t true of anything else. He calls it “The power of God for salvation.” Why? Because it is the only divinely authorized means through which the grace of God flows. How do you know if you’re ashamed of the gospel? Ask yourself this question: When was the last shared time I ________________ it?”

3. I must be a _______________ of __________. ﬁsher men

Matthew 4:18-‐20 says, “While walking by t he Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew h is brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And h e said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” The word “follow” conveys the idea of following as a disciple who is committed to imitating the one he follows. ﬁshing following If you’re not __________________, you’re not ________________________. When it comes to learning how to F.I.S.H. for men, here are four things you must do:

ind F_____________ whom God wants you to reach. This vitally important step involves prayer, asking God to show you whom He wants you to reach

touched for Him. “If your Gospel isn't touching others, it hasn't _________________ you!” – Curry R. Blake nvest I___________________ yourself in their lives. It may be trite, but it’s true: people don’t care how much you know until they know how much y ou care. Ask them: “Is there anything that I c an be praying for you about?” S_____________________ your faith and your church. hare

Our most popular excuse is always, “I just don’t know enough.” You don’t have to be an Einstein to share the gospel. It can be as simple as sharing your own story of how you came to know Christ. 89 of Americans are intensely interested in spiritual A recent Gallup Poll discovered that ______% matters. “Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony of God in them” (I John 5:10).

elp H______________ them grow and reproduce.

Once they have started coming to church and (hopefully) accepted Christ, your job is not over but has just begun. God wants us to make not just disciples but disciple makers.

CHALLENGE: Will you write down the name of at least one person that is not actively involved in church right now and make it your mission to pray for them, invest yourself into their lives, share your faith and your church, and help them grow and reproduce?